COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD THEREOF, AND PROGRAM

• US 20070180236A1
• Filed: 01/19/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Katsumata, Motoyuki, KUROYANAGI, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,826,012 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/162
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3222 of processing required or performed, e.g. forwarding, urgent or confidential handling

Abstract

A communication apparatus is disclosed that transmits data using a plurality of transmission methods. The communication apparatus includes a transmission information input unit that inputs transmission information including destination information and encryption information, and an encryption unit that generates encrypted data based on the encryption information. When at least two sets of the destination information are input for one transmission job, an encryption determination process is performed on each set of the destination information to determine whether encryption transmission involving transmission of the encrypted data is to be performed.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus that transmits data using a plurality of transmission methods, the apparatus comprising:

a transmission information input unit that inputs transmission information including destination information and encryption information; and

an encryption unit that generates encrypted data based on the encryption information;

wherein when at least two sets of the destination information are input for a transmission job, an encryption determination process is performed on each set of destination information to determine whether encryption transmission involving transmission of the encrypted data is to be performed.

2. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a forced encryption setting information storing unit that stores forced encryption setting information for each set of the destination information, the forced encryption setting information indicating whether the encryption transmission is to be performed; and

a transmission job encryption setting unit that sets job encryption information indicating whether the encryption transmission is to be performed for the transmission job;

wherein the encryption determination process is performed on each set of the destination information based on the job encryption information and the forced encryption setting information.

3. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination that does not require the encryption transmission are input for the transmission job,

a user guidance message is output indicating that the destination information pertaining to the first type destination and the destination information pertaining to the second type destination have been input;

and

when a command to continue the transmission job is input in response to the user guidance message, the encryption transmission is performed for the first type destination, and normal transmission is performed for the second type destination.

4. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein,

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination that does not require the encryption transmission are input for the transmission job;

and

when the job encryption information indicates that the encryption transmission does not have to be performed for the transmission job;

the encryption transmission is performed for the first type destination.

5. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission is input, an encryption process is performed on the at least one set of destination information pertaining to the first type destination;

and

when the encryption process ends in failure, transmission operations of the transmission job are not performed.

6. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination that does not require the encryption transmission are input, an encryption process is performed on the at least one set of destination information pertaining to the first type destination;

and

when the encryption process ends in failure, transmission operations of the transmission job that are directed to the second type destination are performed.

7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein

when a first set of destination information pertaining to a destination requiring the encryption transmission is input, an encryption process is performed on the first set of destination information;

and

when the encryption process ends in failure, transmission operations of the transmission job that are associated with the first set of destination information are not performed and transmission operations of the transmission job that are associated with the sets of destination information other than the first set of destination information are performed.

8. A method for controlling a communication apparatus that transmits data using a plurality of transmission methods, the method comprising the steps of:

inputting at least two sets of destination information for one transmission job; and

determining whether encryption transmission is to be performed for each set of the destination information.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

storing forced encryption setting information for each set of the destination information, the forced encryption setting information indicating whether the encryption transmission is to be performed;

setting job encryption information indicating whether the encryption transmission is to be performed for the transmission job; and

determining whether to perform the encryption transmission for each set of the destination information based on the forced encryption setting information and the job encryption information.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination that does not require the encryption transmission are input for the transmission job;

a user guidance message is output indicating that the destination information pertaining to the first type destination and that destination information pertaining to the second type destination have been input; and

when a command to continue the transmission job is input in response to the user guidance message, the encryption transmission is performed for the first type destination, and normal transmission is performed for the second type destination.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein,

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination that does not require the encryption transmission are input for the transmission job;

and

when the job encryption information indicates that the encryption transmission does not have to be performed for the transmission job;

the encryption transmission is performed for the first type destination.

12. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission is input, an encryption process is performed on the at least one set of destination information pertaining to the first type destination;

and

when the encryption process ends in failure, transmission operations of the transmission job are not performed.

13. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein

when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination that requires the encryption transmission and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination that does not require the encryption transmission are input, an encryption process is performed on the at least one set of destination information pertaining to the first type destination;

and

when the encryption process ends in failure, transmission operations of the transmission job that are directed to the second type destination are performed.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein

when a first set of destination information pertaining to a destination requiring the encryption transmission is input, an encryption process is performed on the first set of destination information;

and

when the encryption process ends in failure, transmission operations of the transmission job that are associated with the first set of destination information are not performed and transmission operations of the transmission job that are associated with the sets of destination information other than the first set of destination information are performed.

15. A computer-readable program that is run on a computer installed in a communication apparatus that transmits data using a plurality of transmission methods, the program being executed by the computer to perform the steps of:

storing forced encryption setting information indicating whether to perform encryption transmission for a plurality of sets of destination information;

setting job encryption information indicating whether to perform encryption transmission for the transmission job;

inputting at least two of the sets of destination information as designated destinations for the transmission job; and

determining whether to perform the encryption transmission for each of the designated destinations based on the forced encryption setting information and the job encryption information;

wherein when at least one set of destination information pertaining to a first type destination and at least one set of destination information pertaining to a second type destination are input as the designated destinations for the transmission job, a user guidance message is output indicating that the designated destinations include the first type destination and the second type destination; and

when a command to continue the transmission job is issued in response to the user guidance message, the encryption transmission is performed for the first type destination and normal transmission is performed for the second type destination.